Reggie Brady

Remember the days when all we had to worry about was one channel? Those days are long gone! Today, to succeed in our complex omnichannel world, you have to be in front of consumers at the right time, in the right place, with the right offer. Yes, it's a very complex world out there, but if you're up to the challenge it can pay great dividends.

Standing out in the inbox isn't easy. A lot of promotional emails I receive have subject lines that aren't special. They simply promote a 10 percent or 20 percent off sale. We know that the main mission of a subject line is to spike interest. So, let's take a look at some subject lines that did resonate with me. 

Are you ever at a loss for what to include in an upcoming email campaign? Calendars can be a very useful tool to keep your emails fresh, lively and timely. Let's examine what should be in your calendar and how detailed it should be for the short and long term.

Imagine you could do just five things to improve your email results. Each could give you an incremental lift in opens, clicks and conversions, but if you can make at least three out of five pay off, you get the bonus of the multiplier effect. Response improvements can combine to make a difference.

In the final installment of this three-part series (make sure to check out parts one and two), I examine why it makes sense to ramp up your frequency during the holidays, when to begin your holiday promotions and leave you with some offer strategies that work.

The holidays are a "make it or break it" time for marketers. In my last post, I addressed pre-planning to poise your company to capitalize on the shopping season. Now it's time to address issues that get to the heart of your planning strategy. Consumers are looking for the best deals, gift ideas and the hottest items.  

Now is the time to begin planning your email marketing strategy for the holidays. Anything you do now to improve your email performance will pay benefits for the rest of the year and position you for success during the holidays. Consider the following tips to help you get started: 

Reggie Brday discusses cutting through the clutter with relevant, targeted emails.

How tightly do you plan the upcoming schedule for your email campaigns? Marketers who view email as an important sales and acquisition channel are likely to have a detailed plan for what their email content will include in the next 90 days. They also have a skeleton outline for email offers over the following 90 days. Yes, successful email marketers are actively planning the next six months of activity.

While marketers are in business to sell products, a continued hard sell in email after email doesn't do much to engage readers. Innovative marketers try to find ways to keep their email recipients opening and clicking. They attempt to delight and amaze their readers, and connect with them. Consider occasionally including value-added content that creates an experience. There are many ways to accomplish this; here are six ideas to spur your thinking:

After your from line, the most compelling thing motivating recipients to open your email is its subject line. You know the drill: To stand out in a cluttered inbox, you have to work hard to capture attention. Subject lines must be carefully crafted to develop innovative ways to present your latest promotions and products.

Promotions are an important part of every marketer's email strategy - sales, discounts, discounts with purchases, gifts with purchases, free shipping, etc. These workhorse communications shouldn't be overlooked. They work well to motivate buyers to take actions, but they're not showstoppers. They won't make you stand out from the pack.

Social networking is certainly the rage today, but I'm advancing the theory that most direct marketers don't use it to its fullest capacity. A few weeks ago, I spent about four hours looking at Facebook sites for my favorite retailers, catalogers and online merchants. Many were good at initiating conversations and trying to build brand loyalty. Very few, however, followed the basic tenets of direct marketing by using that communication to either build their databases or encourage purchasing. Social networks are places to build community. But that can go hand in hand with marketing and selling.

Delivering best-in-class service is an important competitive differentiator, so every customer interaction needs to be positive. Email is a powerful tool for strengthening customer service and increasing user confidence in your site and company.

I had breakfast a little more than a year ago with the vice president of marketing for a major online retailer and cataloger. She told me she was worried she'd fallen into the trap of e-mailing too frequently. Her company was sending three or four e-mails per week. She noted that every e-mail generated sales — and that obviously pleased senior management.